Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral?

[jdk4asu]

We are first time cruisers so I have no idea of what I am getting into. My wife, daughter and I are all seasoned travelers, but the logistics of cruising seems to be a nightmare. Can anyone give me some tips as to what port is easier, less expensive, or just better then the other for cruising?

 

We have not selected our trip yet, but it would be through one of those ports. Problem is that we are traveling from the west coast and have limited non-stops to each port and I am concerned about the "trains, planes and automobile" portions of this thing and leaving a trail of our belongings left behind along the way... LOL!!

 

Let me know what any of you think and thanx for the help!

[caribsun]

Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral is on the Atlantic Ocean, east coast of Florida. Out of the two choices Fort Lauderdale would be the the better of the two. Canaveral requires a shuttle/limo from Orlando and travel time is about 1 hour, FLL is 10 minutes from the port.

[jdk4asu]

Thank you for the reply. I have been over to Tampa and Clearwater so this will be a first for us. Yes, I figured that FLL was the better choice, but a bit more expensive. I would save on luggage since Jet Blue does not charge for bags, as well as on the cost of a shuttle, but it is more expensive to take a cruise out of FLL. Really appreciate the feedback!

[caribsun]

Maybe fly to Miami and shuttle to Fort Lauderdale.

[Corby114]

If you decide on cruising out of Fort Lauderdale you will have plenty of choices if you decide to go during late fall, early winter. Most ships return from Europe, Alaska etc during October. There are plenty of great deals for cruises during that time. The most expensive of the bunch would be Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure Of The Seas which cruise from Port Everglades year round. Because those two ships are still very popular and normally sail at full occupancy every week. You can find great deals on Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Carnival, and even MSC which has at least one ship cruising from there in the fall and winter months. First two weeks in December are the lowest cruise prices for the entire year.

[jackdiamond]

Our preferences are the Celebrity S class ships, in AQ, out of Port Everglades.

[JohninDC]

You can't go wrong cruising out of any of the FLA ports - it all depends upon which dates, cruiseline, port visits and length of your cruise.

 

The smart cruiser ALWAYS arrives at least one day early - you don't want a delayed or cancelled flight to cause you to miss your ship. :eek:

 

You have lots of options searching for flights - if you can get a good deal on a flight into Orlando you are only 75 minutes from Tampa, under an hour to Port Canaveral, and about 3+ hours to Fort Lauderdale and closer to 4 hours to Miami. We've even taken cheap flights to FLL and cruised out of PC -- about 3+ hours straight up I-95.

 

Good luck! :)

[Orlando Vic]

We are first time cruisers so I have no idea of what I am getting into. My wife, daughter and I are all seasoned travelers, but the logistics of cruising seems to be a nightmare. Can anyone give me some tips as to what port is easier, less expensive, or just better then the other for cruising?

 

We have not selected our trip yet, but it would be through one of those ports. Problem is that we are traveling from the west coast and have limited non-stops to each port and I am concerned about the "trains, planes and automobile" portions of this thing and leaving a trail of our belongings left behind along the way... LOL!!

 

Let me know what any of you think and thanx for the help!

 

At this point in your planning, I would highly recommend a Florida-based travel agent who specializes in cruises. If you want a recommendation, please speak up!

[skrufy]

For convience, I would choose FLL, MIA or even TPA. All are easy to get to from the airport. FLL-10 min., MIA-15-20 min., and TPA-15-20 min.

[bills blasters]

We have cruise out of both ports, and I would pick FLL over Orlando.

The ship and airport are only minutes apart. It is so easy to just get a cab to the hotel and then to the port. No car rental or shuttle service needed.

Claudia

[neptuno]

We are first time cruisers.... Can anyone give me some tips as to what port is easier, less expensive, or just better ...

 

Nothing wrong with Miami, lots of great itineraries. Port Canaveral seems to service mostly the Bahamas. We always search Port Everglades and Miami for the best deals and best itineraries. Spirit and jet blue have great airfares into both airports, although FLL is right next to the port, transfers from MIA are not that bad. Granted, Port Canaveral has some great prices to the Bahamas, but definitely check out Miami.